Phic Phight Phic's
by quishaweasley
Summary: My collection of phic's from the phic phight event. Chp 1 & 5 prompts by bibliophilea. Chp 2 prompt by Kiinotasha. Chp 3 prompt by reallydumbdannyphantomfics.
1. Mirthful Masters

It had been a year since the accident, but Vlad was still not himself.  
He still guffawed when he laughed, and he still ate his favorite blueberry waffles.  
But he was no longer the same.  
More nights than not, Vlad could be found brooding in his room. Or the door was locked and he would stay like that for hours, not answering a single knock or greeting from his family members.  
This was how it was for months. After he came home from the hospital, he stayed to himself.  
Anastasia thought he was just trying to deal with the trauma of being hospitalized by his best friend's invention.  
That was part of it, but oh.  
Did she believe there to be so much more.  
While Vlad had always been cynical and pessimistic, he was never cruel.  
Now, he was cruel. And sinister. And vile.  
He was almost monstrous.  
She could understand being angry. Whether it be at himself, or at Jack.  
But what caused him to be so..?  
Horrifying?  
She missed the days when they were younger when they'd play in the rain, give each other piggyback rides. Then they'd come inside to a blanket that was fresh from the dryer and watch Scooby Doo on the television.  
But now, her brother wouldn't even talk to her, let alone watch a kids cartoon with her.  
The worst was when he laughed, alone inside his room.  
It was different from his guffaw. It was low, and built up until the sound reverberated throughout the whole house.  
It sent chills down her spine, just like the abandoned house down on Raven Road.  
That's when she heard it. The laugh forced its way inside her head, forcing her hands to clench in her hair as she held her head.  
Mom will be home soon.  
They'll take care of it then.


	2. Time Heals All Wounds

_ Two children were running around a yard in Adamsville, Wisconsin. It was a bright, sunny day and the birds were chirping. _

_ They were playing tag, sprinting between garden pots and statues. During a turn, the boys foot caught on a happy, guitar playing frog, sending him to the ground. _

_ He sprawled face first into the dirt, getting a mouthful of mud and grass. Tears sprang into his eyes and he sat up, wincing. There was a scrape the size of Texas on his knee. _

_ A sob tore its way out of his throat, echoing around the garden. The girl, upon hearing the sound, slowed and turned around to face her brother. _

_ "Oh no!" She exclaimed, running over and bending down to examine his knee. _

_ Soon she jumped up and ran inside the house. _

_ The boy looked at where she had disappeared. What was he going to do now? His sister had _abandoned_ him. _

_ As he was trying to stand, the screen door banged shut. Looking up, his sister was running back towards him with the biggest band aid he had ever seen. _

_ Unpeeling the bandage, she carefully applied it to his knee, and then kissed it. Patting it, she looked at him and smiled. _

_ "What's that thing mom always says?" She asked, scrunching her nose up in concentration. _

_ "Time mends all things…_

_ "Time wounds all men…_

_ "Heal wounds time…"_

_ Her eyes lit up victoriously as she snapped her fingers. _

_ "Time heals all wounds! See Vlad! Your knee will feel better in a jiffy!"  
Vlad sniffed, rubbing his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. He smiled. _

_ "Thanks, Anastasia."_

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_ Anastasia was sitting at her desk working on homework when the front door slammed open, knocking something on the floor. She looked around the corner to see Vlad huffing his way upstairs, stomping heavily on each step. _

_ After his bedroom door slammed shut, she stood up and walked up the stairs. She knocked on his door only to hear a muffled grunt. _

_ "I'm coming in, Vlad." She said. _

_ She turned the knob and pushed open the door and was met with a Vlad buried in his pillow and blanket. _

_ She closed the door softly and sat down on his bed, sitting cross legged, chin in her hands. _

_ "I'm guessing the date didn't go well?"_

_ Vlad scoffed from underneath his pillow. _

_ "I told you she was creepy. Always hanging out at that abandoned house. Why-"_

_ "That's not why it went bad." Vlad mumbled. _

_ Anastasia paused, waiting for him to elaborate. Rolling her eyes when he didn't, she pulled the blanket off of him. _

_ "Why'd it go bad then?"_

_ "I told her that I don't think a ghost can be good."_

_ Silence. The paranormal, particularly ghosts, was a pretty prevalent subject in their town. People were always spotting spirits in the woods and walking down Main St.. _

_ "Why can't ghosts be good?"_

_ "Why would they be here if they weren't?" Vlad said, removing the pillow from his face. "They have unfinished business, they're always making everyone uncomfortable. Why would a being do that if they were good?"_

_ Anastasia shrugged her shoulders. _

_ "You know what I do know though?"_

_ Vlad sent a scowl her way. _

_ "Time heals all wounds. You'll bounce back in no time. Plus, if she can't handle you having a differing opinion, it probably wouldn't be the best relationship to be in anyways."_

_ Vlad huffed. "I guess you're right."_

_ Anastasia smiled and bopped him on the nose. _

_ "I'm always right."_

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_ They were in college now. _

_ At least Anastasia was._

_ Vlad had been in a terrible lab accident the year before, and he's been home for two months now. He'd finally made some genuine friends but then this happened. _

_ He still hasn't answered any of their calls. _

_ Vlad hardly ever left his room. Every once in a while he could be seen dragging himself to the bathroom and back. He never went into the kitchen. They ended up bringing plates up for him. _

_ Sometimes he ended up in the living without the stairs creaking at all, scaring anyone who was on the first floor at the time. _

_ He even looked scared himself. As if he didn't know how he got there. _

_ Sometimes she'd hear him listening to old voicemails from his friends, trying to conceal his sobs, only for him to throw the phone at the wall. _

_ Today he was quiet. He hasn't left his room, and he never opened his door to the plate outside it. _

_ Anastasia took a deep breath, and cracked open Vlad's door. _

_ "Vlad?"_

_ No reply. _

_ She walked towards where he was on the bed, and pulled the blanket off of his head. _

_ Except Vlad wasn't there. It was a pile of carefully placed pillows. _

_ She sucked in a harsh breath, turning around, nearly running into Vlad._

_ Vlad?_

_ "How did you-?" She asked, pointing from him to the bed. _

_ Ignoring her, he skulked to the bed and flopped down on it. _

_ "What do you want, Anastasia?"_

_ She shuffled her feet, still thoroughly confused. "I came to see how you were doing."_

_ He looked at her with scorn, as if she should know the answer already. "What makes you think I'm doing any better than yesterday?"_

_ Anastasia threw her arm towards the door. "Well clearly you're well enough to be sneaking around on us."_

_ He rolled away from her, facing the wall. _

_ She sighed. "Vlad, I know this is hard but you gotta start doing something other than sitting in your room all day. Read a book, go for a walk. Or at least sit outside in the yard."_

_ Nothing. _

_ "Mom says 'time heals all'-"_

_ Suddenly, faster than she can blink, Vlad was up in front of her face shouting._

_ "No! Time can't heal all wounds! It can't!"_

_ He hit his lamp, sending it crashing to the floor, startling Anastasia. He squeezed his eyes shut at the action._

_ "Time can't fix this."_

_ Vlad laid back in his bed, and after a few moments Anastasia left the room quietly. _

_ The next morning Vlad was gone. _

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Vlad hasn't seen his family in 20 years. Not after he nearly lost control in front of Anastasia. They never knew where to look for him.

It was kind of hard to track a ghost anyways.

He'd always kept tabs on them though. Making sure that they were okay and well.

After they'd reconciled, Jack convinced him to go see her. To get coffee.

Or something.

So now, Vlad was standing in front of his old childhood home, rickety and worn after all these years. The garden was overgrown and some of the windows were cracked, but there was still evidence of life.

There were new toys littering the yard. And their old swing set was replaced with a newer one.

Walking down the path to the front door, he saw a little frog, happily playing his guitar. It was cracked and chipped. Now gray after a lifetime in the elements.

Now in front of the same, rickety screen door, Vlad paused, his chest tightening.

What if she didn't want to see him? What if she pushed him away?

Taking a deep breath, Vlad knocked on the door, jiggling it in the frame.

After a minute, the door was opened by a woman. She looked at him for a few seconds, before her eyes widened in realization.

"Vlad?"

He nodded, and that was all the prompting she needed. She flung herself at his chest, tears falling from her eyes. Her grip was tight and she was squeezing his bones together.

"Vlad! Oh my god! It's been so long!" She said through her tears.

"We thought you were dead."

The weight in her voice choked Vlad up. He finally wrapped his arms around her just as tightly, head tucked into her neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Anastasia."

She shook her head, wiping her nose on his suit jacket.

She sniffled before pulling away and looking at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Vlad smiled at her, pulling out a recent picture of Maddie, Jack, and himself.

"Time finally healed my wound."


	3. Cross My Heart

It was an average day. The teenagers just got out of school and everyone was off to do their own thing.

Get a snack at the Nasty Burger.

Football practice.

Homework.

But there was one stubborn, insufferable boy who was up to no good.

Being a not so average person.

Wes Weston.

He was conniving again, looking up around every corner and at every tree, trying to find something. _Anything._

A gray blur smeared across the sky and Wes finally found what he was looking for.

"Hey Fenton!" He yelled at the sky.

He ran after the ghost boy, trying to keep an eye on him as he zipped through the sky. Suddenly, he dipped in between the buildings.

Wes took out his camera and got ready, sneaking up around the corner.

He jumped out right as he saw a white flash of light, camera recording.

But it wasn't Fenton.

He was met with… Some other Fenton?

A girl a few years younger than him had a white ring traveling over her body, revealing a human body underneath.

She looked up and started walking out of the alley when she saw him there. She yelped, hands forming into fists, feet taking a defense stance.

"Who are you?" She said, eyebrows drawn down. "What did you see?"

Wes, mouth wide open, just stared at her, flabbergasted.

"Who are _you_?" Wes shouted. "I thought I was following Danny!"

"I _am _Dani."

Wes squinted, thoroughly confused.

"Wait, Fenton, are you saying you got turned into a _girl_?" Wes whispered.

The girl, "Danny", squinted her eyes and looked at him like he was stupid.

"If that were even the case, which it's not, how would that even be possible?"

Wes shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You're a ghost, that shouldn't be possible-"

Suddenly Wes was being slammed into the brick wall behind him. Out of breath, he looked down at the _little girl_ who should _not be able to man handle a man. _

"How do you know that?" She hissed out.

Wes gulped. "Uh… Well you know Phantom, right?"

"...right."

"Well." Wes said. "He sort of looks just like Danny Fenton? I've seen him transform and everything.

"I have no proof though. The brat just likes to torture me." He mumbled.

"But now!" He exclaimed, pushing away from the wall. "This will help me prove to every one that I am _not _Phantom!"

The girl's eyes darted to the camera before letting out a yelp. Floating up off the ground, she ripped it out of Wes's hands.

"Hey!" He shouted. "Give that back!"

"I can't!" She yelled, panic in her voice. She hugged the camera to her stomach.

"If this gets out he'll find me!"

Wes scrunched up his brow in confusion. "Who? Danny?"

She rolled her eyes. "No stupid."

"Then who?"

She didn't answer him, just clutched at the camera like her life depended on it.

Who else would be looking for besides Danny? Danny's dad? No he wasn't scary enough.

Who else would it be though? Who would be scary and vile enough to-.

Wes's eyes widened in realization.

"Vlad."

The girl jolted as if she'd been slapped before nodding.

"The fucker." Wes hissed. "Always being everyone's problem."

He looked up at the frightened girl, who still looked an awful lot like Fenton.

"What is he to you anyways?"

She floated back to the ground, still clutching the camera.

"He's my dad." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Kinda. Not really." She took a deep breath and looked Wes in the eyes.

"I'm Danny's clone."

Wes's eyes widened. The similarity was there, yeah, but Vlad was so far gone he was _cloning_ people?

Really?

Wes made a grab motion with his hand. "If you give me the camera I can delete the footage."

She made no move towards him. "What if you're lying?"

"I'm not. Cross my heart and hope to die." He made an x shape on his chest.

The girl snorted, before handing the camera over.

As Wes went through the settings, he started talking again. "Vlad and I aren't besties either. He can rot in hell for all I care. He's probably already there."

"How do you know Vlad?"

"My dad works for him." He shook his head. "Can't seem to understand that Vlad is a fruitloop.

"And, done!"

He held the camera out in front of him in a tada motion, smiling at the girl, who smiled back.

"Thanks for that. I appreciate it a lot."

He waved off her reply. "No biggie. Hey, so what was your name?"

"I told you already. I'm Dani, with an 'I'."

Wes held his hand out in front of him. "Nice to meet you, 'Dani with an 'I'."

Dani reached out her hand and shook his. "And your name?"

"Wes. Wes Weston."

"Nice to meet you, Wes. But I gotta jet. I was supposed to meet Danny today. Bye!" She started running off but just before she turned the corner she faced him again.

"No spying on us!"

And then she was gone.

Wes looked at the camera in his hand, and hit the power button, turning it off.


	4. Danny Was Phantom

Prompt by deredereart: After meeting Dani and finding out Vlad is a ghost, Wes' theories about Phantom seem less absurd to Valerie than before.

Valerie was pacing in her room. She had just gotten home after helping Phantom rescue Dani.

After she got her into the mess in the first place.

She was trying to figure out what she saw in that building when this little girl turned into a ghost.

A _ghost._

People don't just turn into ghosts all willy nilly like that.

Phantom had said she was a half ghost. She doesn't know how that's possible, but she's seen it twice now.

Was it something they were born with? Are they sick? Are they just really delusional ghosts?

But that also begs the question.

What does Phantom play in all this?

Wouldn't she have caught him by now if he was running around and changing into his ghost form all the time?

Something about that didn't seem right to her…

There was another boy who was always running around, spewing excuses each and every time.

Valerie's eyes widened.

Wes was always accusing Danny of being Phantom. Had all these charts and presentations. Bad photoshop edits. Hokey theories.

What if they weren't actually all that hokey? What if they held some weight to them?

Valerie turned the computer in her room, turning it on. She connected her suits signal and brought up the footage it records when she's using it.

Dani popped up on the screen, in the alleyway where she'd been eating apples. The black hair, pale skin, sky blue eyes. And that nose that was shared between three of the Fentons.

She looked just like Danny.

Valerie's heartbeat picked up and she felt like she couldn't breath. The room began to spin.

Danny was Phantom.

Phantom who had ruined her life.

Fenton who she had gone on dates with.

_Phantom who'd she'd been shooting at._

All those times when Valerie thought he was a bad shot made more sense. She's seen him fight in town before when she wasn't involved. When he destroyed her old suit. She hadn't understood.

_It all made sense. _

When their bathroom breaks coincided, when Danny suddenly appeared somewhere when Phantom was fleeing. When Danny "ran away" from a ghost attack and no one saw where he went when it was done.

The guilt clogged Valerie's throat, tears filling her eyes.

_What had happened to him?_


	5. Falling Flight

Vlad Masters has spent twenty years as a halfa. He's made a life for himself and he couldn't be happier.

Well, that's not quite true.

Sometimes he longs for the days when Jack, Maddie, and himself would hole themselves up in their dorm room, watching The Amityville Horror. They were still naive, didn't realize what they were getting into with the whole ghosts thing.

Vlad also missed his family. He hasn't seen them since he left home after the accident. Sometimes he wonders how they are but he can never seem to find any information on them.

It's like they never existed.

When he was plagued with these feelings, he would take to the air to clear his thoughts. The act of flying made him feel lighter, freer. As if all of his problems were left on the ground.

A ghost didn't have to worry about having friends or family.

Not really anyways.

He soared through the sky, the wind blowing through his hair. The sun warmed his skin, making all feel right in the world.

Suddenly the world sped up and Vlad was falling. The ground rose up to meet him and then the world was black.

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_1982\. Inside of the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, WI resided a college aged man. He was covered in sickly acne, and his hair was burnt white. _

_The heart monitors sped up, and a young woman in the room started yelling for nurses and doctor's. _

_They moved her aside, bringing in a crash cart. They tried epi, tried restarting his heart. But the computer in the room kept ringing, the flatline declaring him dead. _

_They took the time of death, and allowed the woman to come forward and say goodbye._

_The left the room, closing the door on her sorrowful wails. _


	6. Familiar Phantom

Jack was patrolling the park when his machine started beeping. A little blip appeared on the screen of his tracker, indicating that a ghost was nearby.

He was about to rush off before he saw Vlad leaning against a tree.

"Vladdie!" Jack yelled, tucking the device away and rushing away to chat with his friend.

When Jack approached the man, seeing Vlad's eyes closed, his composure lacking the pretension it usually holds.

"Vladdie?" Jack asked softly.

He hasn't seen this look on Vlad's face since they were in college. It was a look he usually reserved for when he was homesick or when he had a falling out with either him or Maddie.

Vlad took a shaky breath, and looked up at Jack.

"My dear friend, I have something to tell you.

"When we were in college testing out that proto portal for the first time, something happened. It was a side effect of the accident with the portal."

"Does this have to do with the ecto-acne?" Jack asked.

Vlad shook his head. "No, that was a separate side effect." He took another shaky inhale, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm a halfa."

"A whata?"

"A halfa." Vlad repeated. "Half human, half ghost."

"How is that possible? Why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you, v-man."

Vlad shook his head, looking back up at Jack.

"I resented you so much. I would've done anything to get rid of you Jack. My ghostly half latched onto some very strong feelings I had at the time of the accident and it transformed into my obsession. I couldn't let myself.

"Besides, there's always that chance you'd want to skin me alive as part of your research."

"Vlad, we would n-"

At that Vlad held up a hand, stopping Jack.

"You don't know who I am though."

At that, a ring of black light appeared around his waist, and Vlad was replaced with the Wisconsin Ghost. Stunned, Jack froze for a minute.

Meeting Vlad's eyes he could see the despair in them.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so sorry." He let out a small hiccup.

Jack moved forward and wrapped his arms around the sniffling Vlad.

"It's okay. We'll figure this out together."

Suddenly, Vlad was being shot of out Jack's grasp and being sucked up. Maddie stood there with here bazooka and thermos, looking fairly angry.

"Maddie, wait-"

At his voice, Maddie's face turned to one of concern instead of malice, before she walked over to start fussing over him.

"Jack! Sweetie! Are you hurt anywhere? Did it get you?"

"No, Mads, I'm fine but-"

She looked away, the scientist in her taking over as she began plotting.

"We gotta get him to the lab. We should study this one. Examine him."

"Wait-"

But she was already sprinting away and driving off in the RV.

"No!" Jack yelled, running off after her.

_He couldn't let her hurt him._

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Vlad woke up, a major migraine plaguing his head. Everything felt heavy, and he was unsure of what he was doing before he went to sleep.

Off to the side, Vlad heard a familiar voice. Maddie.

_Ah, _he thought. _I must've fallen asleep in the lab again. _

Vlad opened his mouth to speak, but found that his throat was dry and croaky. Clearing it, he spoke in a cracking voice.

"Maddie, my dear, what time is it?"

The mumbling suddenly stopped, the hologram silent.

Then fingers with sharp nails, _nails, _grabbed his face, yanking his head to the left. A low voice spit a question into his face.

"How do you know my name?"  
Realization dawned over Vlad, and he began to pry his eyelids apart. Before him was a very real Maddie Fenton, staring down at him, a vengeance in her eyes.

Looking around Vlad could see that they were indeed in a lab.

Except it was not his own.

He still could not recall the events before his unconscious state, and he felt as if he was playing catch up. How had Maddie managed to catch him? Where were they? What-

Suddenly his head flung to the side, a slap sent across his face by the woman in front of him.

"Answer me!" She yelled, chest heaving, hands clenched in anger.

Vlad closed his eyes, the slap bouncing the migraine around his head. Once the pain subsided, he looked back at her before sighing and looking up at the ceiling.

"You don't want the answer to that, my dear."

"Try me." She growled.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you." He whispered.

"What was that?"

"You wouldn't believe me!" He yelled.

Silence rang through the lab, the only sound the humming of the ghost portal. Maddie had held her ground, her brow furrowed in confusion at the outburst.

"Why wouldn't I believe you?"

"Well, let's see, I'm a ghost. I've attacked your husband. You wouldn't think it'd be possible-"

"What wouldn't be possible?"

_Drat. _After all these years, Maddie still had the ability to get Vlad's mouth running, talking without thinking. Spilling his _feelings. _

Vlad shook his head. "You see that machine over there? The portal?" He nodded in it's direction. "That machine is the most groundbreaking project you have ever done. It is also the most dangerous. How many people have gotten hurt because of it? How many people have to suffer because of it?

"I resent that thing. With every molecule in my being."

Maddie was silent, watching Vlad with a curious but confused gaze.

"But you're just a ghost. Isn't the ghost portal a good thing? Letting you have easy access to wreak havoc on our world?"

Vlad scoffs.

"Just a ghost."

"10:43." Maddie said.

"What?"  
"The time is 10:43 at night.

"Oh." Vlad shut his eyes. "If I may, can I ask how you captured me? I seem unable to recall the events before I awoke in your lab."

"I was patrolling the park when I saw a flash. When I rounded the bend in the path, I could see you and my husband off in the distance. With your proximity, I came to the conclusion that he was being attacked."

Vlad squinted, eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember going somewhere with Jack.

After a few moments, his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to rebuke the accusation when suddenly the slamming of a door could be heard from upstairs. Bangs and crashes could be heard, growing closer to the top of the basement steps. The door slammed open, startling Vlad and Maddie.

"Mads! Wait!" Jack huffed, out of air.

"It's Vlad!"

Maddie turned back to face him, the look of confusion multiplied, before turning back to Jack.

"But he's a ghost!"

"Actually-" Vlad started.

"-Half ghost." Jack said, bent over at the waist, raising a pointer finger in the air while the other hand rested on his knee.

"What?" Maddie said. "How is that possible?"

"Told you." Vlad said.

She squints at him before releasing his restraints. As he sits up, Jack comes to stand by his side, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

A black ring appears around Vlad's waist, traveling along his body to reveal his suit and tie.

He looked up at Maddie, gauging her reaction to see her arms crossed, foot tapping against the tiled floor.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

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It was a dark night, just past ten o'clock. The wind was blowing through the trees, leaves gently falling to the ground. All in all, it seemed peaceful.

_It better stay that way._

Maddie was on her nightly patrol of the town. Today's route brought her through the park. Jack started on the other side and they were supposed to meet in the middle. This was their last stop, and once they were done, they could go home and relax.

Maddie was almost at the meeting spot when she heard mumbling through the brush. Nothing hostile, probably not a ghost. Following the soft mumble was a rounder sound, more full of life.

_Jack. _She thought. _He must've finished early and found someone to talk to. _  
Through the trees, she saw a flash of black light- _black light?_\- come from the direction of her husband. She heard a gasp, and the warmth in the air disappeared, leaving behind a chill.

She ran around the bend in the path, and she saw a ghost, but not any ghost, _the Wisconsin Ghost, _attached to her husband. His grip was tight, and Jack appeared shocked.

Kneeling down, Maddie raised her ecto-blaster and aimed it at the ghost. She shot, knocking the ghost off of Jack, and earning a surprised expression from the both of them. Pulling out a thermos, she trapped the ghost.

"Maddie, wait-"

"Jack! Sweetie! Are you hurt anywhere? Did it get you?"

"No, Mads, I'm fine but-"

Maddie turned away. "We gotta get him to the lab. We should study this one. Examine him." She began running towards the Fenton RV.

"Wait-"

She didn't hear Jack's protests, focus solely on the ghost in her possession.

She started up the car, putting it in drive, and sped away from the park.

"We're gonna get home, strap this thing down, and ask it about it's motives. Why does it specifically target our family, does that have to do with it's 'haunting' or 'obsession'? Do other-" She turned to face Jack in the passenger seat, only to see that she had left him behind in the rush to get home.

_Whoops. _Maddie thought.

She pulled into their driveway and parked the car, leaping out to make her way to the basement. She set up all the tools and machinery she would need, specifically the lab table, and pressed the release button on the thermos. Prepared for an angry ghost, she was quite surprised to find a limp Wisconsin ghost laying on the table.

What kind of ghost goes unconscious?

She maneuvers him into the correct position and locks the restrains into place around his wrists and ankles.

Maddie observed him, and then turned to fiddle with some tools on the counter behind her. She picked up a stack of notes, reading them to herself when she heard a croaking voice.

"Maddie, my dear, what time is it?"

Her blood chilled, and she stared blankly at the papers she was holding.

_It knew her name. _

Whipping around, she grabbed the ghost by the chin, hissing in it's groggy face.

"How do you know my name?"

She watched as the ghost opened its eyes, peeling them apart in what looked to be great effort. As if it could feel pain.

Panic filled eyes met her, and then traveled around the room, taking in its surroundings. It was looking at the ghost portal when she met her limit.

She slapped him hard across the face, the noise reverberating around the lab. Its eyes blew open and then squeezed shut, mimicking pain quite well.

"Answer me!" She yelled, anger making her hands shake and her breath coming out heavily.

His eyes opened, and he turned to look at her before looking up at the ceiling again.

"You don't want the answer to that, my dear."

Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, grit her teeth, and started counting. The ghost was already getting on her nerves.

"Try me."

It mumbled a reply, too low for her to hear.

"What was that?"

"You wouldn't believe me!"

The roar bounced at the room, before leaving them in a heavy silence. She could feel the anger dripping off of the ghost, practically singeing her.

She furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering why that struck such a chord with him.

"Why wouldn't I believe you?"

"Well, let's see, I'm a ghost. I've attacked your husband. You wouldn't think it'd be possible-"

Maddie's eyes widened at the last statement, invoking the researcher in her.

"What wouldn't be possible?"

The ghosts mouth snap shut, the look on his face as if he got caught sharing too much information. It was very reminiscent of-

"You see that machine over there? The portal?" The ghost started suddenly. "That machine is the most groundbreaking project you have ever done. It is also the most dangerous. How many people have gotten hurt because of it? How many people have to suffer because of it?

"I resent that thing. With every molecule in my being."

An itch was starting to crawl up Maddie's spine, telling her something was wrong. She didn't know what it was. But it was there.

"But you're just a ghost. Isn't the ghost portal a good thing? Letting you have easy access to wreak havoc on our world?"

Because it's supposed to be that simple.

Right?

The ghost let out a scoff, and replied dryly.

"Just a ghost."

They sat in silence again, it was calmer this time, although tense.

"10:43." She said, looking up from the watch in her suit.

"What?" He turned to look at her, perplexed at the abrupt change in subject.

"The time is 10:43 at night."

"Oh." He said. "If I may, can I ask how you captured me? I seem unable to recall the events before I awoke in your lab."

Maddie frowned. Ghosts don't usually suffer anything along the lines of brain trauma. What made the event disappear from his mind?

"I was patrolling the park when I saw a flash. When I rounded the bend in the path, I could see you and my husband off in the distance. With your proximity, I came to the conclusion that he was being attacked."

The ghost looked confused at first, until the realization spread across his face, his mouth opened just as the front door slammed and the end table got knocked over.

_Clear the path from the front door to the lab of breakable items. _Maddie noted as she heard Jack stumble around.

The door slamming into the wall at the top of the stairs still startled her, and she looked up to see Jack standing there, out of breath.

"Mads, wait!

"It's Vlad!"

Maddie felt the color drain from her face as she looked at the ghost strapped the the table, and then back at her husband.

"But he's a ghost!"

"Actually-" "Vlad" started.

"Half-ghost." Jack finished, bent at the waist, still heaving in air.

"What?" Maddie said, brain racing. "How is that possible?" Ectoplasm is often times toxic to humans. How could one be sustained for such a long period of exposure without-

"Told you."

Maddie turned to look at Vlad through squinted eyes. Now that she knew, it was easier to place those familiarities.

She pressed the button, releasing his restraints, and watched as he sat up, rubbing at his wrists. Jack walked over to them, placing a hand on Vlad's shoulder, and the next thing she knew, a black ring was traveling over his body.

Leaving behind a completely human looking Vlad Master's.

She watched him raise his gaze to her sheepishly.

Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

Qqqqqqqqqqqqqq

Vlad had told them his story, the whole story. Starting with his feelings for Maddie and how that had coalesced into his ghostly obsession. Why he seemed to have dropped off the grid for years before returning as a millionaire.

How his ghost half had begun to be too overwhelming and he decided to try the last thing he could think of.

Ghosts often times move on once they make peace with their obsession of finally complete unfinished business, so Vlad hopes that this will clear his mind and allow him to live without a teakettle on the heat for the rest of his life.

He just hoped that by doing so, he wouldn't move on to some sort of afterlife.

He wasn't entirely sure what would happen if a halfa made peace with their obsession.

Jack and Maddie were staring at him, in shock, pity, pain.

But they haven't kicked him out of the house yet.

Then Maddie stood up and moved across the living room to the couch he was sitting on, before plopping down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Vlad…"

After a moment Jack joined the two, wrapping them up together in his arms.

The next morning, the two Fenton children would find them all curled up on the couch together, Jack lightly snoring.


End file.
